Movable plunger type machine for making corrugated wood



Oct. 16. 1956 w. L. KNOWLES 2,766,787

MOVABLE PLUNGER TYPE MACHINE OR MAKING CORRUGATED WOOD Filed Nov. 10, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR PIZLJfnawZ as ATTORNEYS FOR MAKING CORRUGATED woos 5 She etS-Sheet 2 MOVABLE PLUNGER TYPE MACHINE Oct. 16. 1956 Filed Nov.

\ III! W////////////A %B WM Oct. 16, 1956 w. L. KNOWLES 2,766,737

MOVABLE PLUNGER TYPE MACHINE FOR MAKING CORRUGATED WOOD 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed NOV. 10, 1953 INVENTOR n 0 w Z 5 BY W United States Patent MOVABLE PLUNGER TYPE MACHINE FOR MAKING CORRUGATED WOOD William Lee Knowles, Augusta, Ga., assignor to Corn-Ply Corporation, Murfreesboro, N. C., a corporation of North Carolina Application November 10, 1958, Serial No. 391,260 2 Claims. (Cl. 144-256) This invention relates to a corrugating or laminated material making machine of the press or plunger type.

An object of this invention is to provide a machine for making hollow laminated cores which embodies a series of corrugating bars which are fixed in a frame, and a second series of corrugating bars confronting said first series, with means for moving one series relative to the other series to thereby produce a corrugated core or panel.

Another object of this invention is to provide a machine of this type having a plurality of fixedly mounted corrugating elements with a plurality of complementary corrugating bars confronting said first-named bars, and means for progressively moving said second-named bars relative to said first-named bars.

A further object of this invention is to provide a machine of this type wherein the movable corrugating bars are moved to pressure applying position by means of pairs of cams which are arranged to apply pressure to the bars in sequence from the center toward each side of the machine so that the laminated material will be drawn inwardly from each side as the material is progressively placed under pressure.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in the arrangement, combination and details of construction disclosed in the drawings and specification, and then more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a detail end elevation of a corrugating machine of the plunger or press type constructed according to an embodiment of this invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary transverse section at the center of the machine showing the sequence of operation of the movable corrugating bars from the center toward each end.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary plan view showing the driving means for the cam shafts.

Referring to the drawings the numeral 10 designates generally a frame structure which is formed of a plurality of upper and lower bars 11 and 12 connected together by means of threaded rods 13 having nuts 14 and 15 threaded thereon. The upper frame bars 11 have secured thereto a plate 16 which is formed on the lower side thereof with corrugating means 17. t

A plurality of elongated corrugating bars 18 are disposed in confronting position relative to the lower side of plate 16, and the bars 18 are disposed in side-by-side relation and are guided for vertical movement by means of a pair of transversely extending guide bars 19 and 20. The guide bars 19 and 20 are formed on the inner sides thereof with keys 21 and 22 respectively, and the opposite ends of the corrugating bars 18 are formed with keyways 23 within which the keys 21 and 22 are adapted to slidably engage.

A pair of cam shafts 24 and 25 are journalled in bearings 26 and 27 carried by guides 28 and 29 respectively, and the bearings 26 and 27 are spring-pressed upwardly by means of springs 30 and 31 respectively. The bearings 26 and 27 are limited as to their upward movement by means of nuts 32 and 33 which are threaded onto the guides 28 and 29 respectively.

The shafts 24 and 25 have secured thereon a plurality of sector shaped cams 34, and the cams 34 are arranged in stepped relation from the center cam 34a to the side of the sheet, the purpose for which will be hereinafter described.

Each bar 18 has mounted in a pair of slots 35 a pair of rollers 36 which engage the edges of the cams carried by shafts 24 and 25. The corrugating bars 18 are adapted to be moved upwardly in a horizontal position so that a laminated sheet 37 disposed between plate 16 and corrugating bars 18 will be formed into a corrugated core by upward pressing of bars 18 so that the sheet 37 will be pressed into the corrugating channels and between the ribs of the corrugating means 17 formed on the lower side of plate 16.

Each cam member 34 is formed with a pair of obtusely related straight edges 37 and 38, and an outer arcuate edge 39. The edge 37 is the leading pressure applying edge and the straight edge 38 is the pressure releasing edge, whereas the arcuate edge 39 is the pressure retaining or holding edge wherein the corrugated bars 18 are held in uppermost pressure applying position for a portion of the rotation of each cam 34.

The cam shaft 24 has fixed thereto a worm gear 40, and cam shaft 25 has fixed thereto a worm gear 41. A horizontally disposed shaft 42 is journalled in bearings 43 and has fixed thereon a pair of worms 44 and 45 which mesh with worm gears 40 and 41 respectively.

A power member 46 is disposed at one end of the frame structure 10 and includes a speed reducing means 47 with a splined shaft 48 extending therefrom and connected to the rear end of shaft 42 by means of a universal joint 49.

In the use and operation of the machine the laminated sheet 37 is inserted between the stationary and movable corrugating means formed by stationary plate 16 and movable bars 18. Initially, sheet 37 is substantially longer than the distance between outer ones of the bars 18 and the length of plate 16.

As shafts 24 and 25 rotate the center cam 34a raises the center bar 18 upwardly to pressure applying position as shown in Figure 5. The adjacent cams 34 will in sequence raise the associated bars 18 upwardly to pressure applying position until the outermost cams are in pressure applying position and the rollers 36 are riding over the arcuate outer edges 39 of all the cams 34.

As the movable bars 18 are raised upwardly the side edges of laminated sheet 37 will be drawn inwardly until the side edges of sheet 37 are disposed substantially fiush with the outer ones of movable bars 18 and the outer edges of plate 16.

It will, of course, be understood that suitable heating means may be applied directly to the plate 16 and the corrugating bars 18, or the frame 10 may be encompassed in a housing which is suitably heated so that the adhesive securing the laminations of sheet 37 together will be cured during the process of forming the sheet 37 into a laminated corrugated member.

The heat which is used in this machine is of such a degree or temperature that the heat will set the Wood by fusing the lignin or moisture in the cells, The temperature will vary within a range of a minimum of 260 F. and a maximum of approximately 325 F. There are a number of factors which govern the degree of heat and the time of application of heat and pressure. These factors are, the thickness, character and moisture content of the paper, the thickness, viscosity and character of the adhesive, the density of the wood fibers, and the moisture content of the wood. The time of application of the pressure and heat is between ten and twenty seconds, but with certain types of adhesives the time may be very materially reduced.

What is claimed is:

l. A corrugated laminated material making machine comprising a frame structure formed of a plurality of upper and lower transverse bars connected together by means of threaded rods having retaining nuts thereon, a plate secured to the undersides of said upper bars and having a corrugated undersurface, a plurality of individual corrugating bars disposed in confronting position relative to the corrugating surface of said plate and arranged in side by side relationship, said individual corrugating bars respectively having keyways on the opposite ends thereof, guide-bars disposed on the opposite ends of said frame structure and having the keys entering the guideways of said keyways of the corrugating bars to guide the movement of said corrugating bars toward the corrugating surface of said plate, a pair of longitudinally spaced cam shafts, bearings receiving said shafts for rotation, biasing means for supporting said bearings and urging the upward movement thereof, means for limiting the upward movement of said bearings, a plurality of sector-shaped cams secured to each of said shafts and arranged in stepped relation from the center cam toward the opposite outer cams, each cam member having a pair of obtusely related straight edges, said cams being respectively engageable with said corrugating bars, said shafts respectively having worm gears, a horizontally-disposed shaft journaled on said frame structure adjacent to said bearings and having worm-pinions respectively mating with said worm gears of said shafts, a universal joint connected to one end of said shaft and power means connected to said universal joint for driving the same.

2. A corrugated laminated material making machine comprising a frame, confronting corrugating members in said frame, one of said members being a horizontally arranged corrugated plate, the other of said members being formed of a plurality of elongated corrugating bars with each of said bars being provided with a keyway, transversely extending guide bars having a plurality of keys adapted to be slidably received by said corrugating bar keyways, a pair of cam shafts below said corrugating bars, a plurality of sector-shaped cams fixed on said shaft, rollers carried by said bars engaging said cams, each cam being formed with obtusely related pressure applying and pressure releasing surfaces with an arcuate pressure holding surface between said obtusely related surfaces, said cams being arranged in stepped relation from the center cam outwardly in each direction to raise said bars in sequence from the center bar to the opposite end bars, and means for rotating said shafts.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 564,203 Kellogg July 21, 1896 1,488,504 Keyes Apr. 1, 1924 2,481,049 Stamm Sept. 6, 1949 2,640,517 De Mello lune 2, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 4,973 Great Britain Feb. 27, 1913 

